


Escape to Mercury Labs

by ElfGrove



Series: Speedsters of Mercury Labs [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-01
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-03-09 22:38:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3266966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElfGrove/pseuds/ElfGrove
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Harrison Wells turns on Team Flash revealing his identity as the Reverse Flash, a brutal fight ensued. Unexpectedly, he broke off to handle something else, and they go running for shelter at Mercury Labs. Their arrival at Mercury Labs is met with an unexpected welcome party…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Escape to Mercury Labs

**Author's Note:**

> Just a one shot toying with the idea of how to integrate Max Mercury into the TV The Flash universe. Theoretical future episode.

Barry stumbled along next to Cisco, one arm draped over his friend’s shoulder. He still wore the scarlet suit, although it was torn in places and the cowl only covered half his face at the moment. Thankfully he was more banged up than bleeding, but he was certain there were multiple broken bones involved. Joe brought up the rear, his firearm at the ready, watching for pursuit as though he would be fast enough to make a difference if the Reverse Flash, if Dr. Wells, decided to follow them after all.

In front of them, Caitlin froze mid-step, and Barry found himself looking wearily past her to the now open glass doors of Mercury Labs. A familiar silhouette stood in the entrance, half turned away from them as he helped guide a wheeled stretcher through the open door.

"I told you I heard them coming. Now hurry up before Harrison changes his mind about letting them walk away."

"Hartley," Caitlin half whispered his name, and Barry could feel Cisco’s muscles tensing under him as they came to a stop next to her, several feet short of the hoped for refuge of the competing laboratory.

"I told you he would turn on you." Hartley’s voice was acerbic, "But he’s good at manipulating people, isn’t he?"

"Save it for later, Dr. Rathaway," The man on the other end of the stretcher forced it over the last bump and past the door-frame, hurrying Hartley along with it. He was tall, with sharp features, snow white hair, and blue eyes that seemed almost electric in their intensity. "Dr. Snow. Mr. Ramon. Detective West. Let’s get The Flash inside and see what medical care we can render before something heals incorrectly."

"We’re not going anywhere with—"

"Oh Cisquito—"

"Both of you shut up," Joe cut Cisco and Hartley off before they could build up steam. "We came here for help. You’re offering help, right?"

"Of course, the offer I made to Caitlin when she came to us about Ronnie stands." The white-haired man moved forward, he and Joe both helping Barry onto the stretcher, while Cisco and Hartley glared daggers at each other.

"Thank you again, Dr. Crandall," Caitlin said as she held the door open. "I didn’t know where else to turn and—"

"Let’s get inside," The elder man smiled gently. "We can discuss matters once we’re in a secure location, and please, call me Max."

"Just how secure is this gonna be, Max?" Joe walked alongside the stretcher, staring meaningfully over Barry to Hartley. "Not to get personal kid, but the last time I saw you—"

"Detective West, I can assure you that my vendetta is with Harrison. With their ties broken, The Flash is no enemy of mine." Hartley looked straight ahead as he pushed his end of the stretcher. "It would have been better if they’d all listened to be from the start."

"Yeah, blowing things up is totally the best way to make us listen to you," Cisco growled, walking alongside Hartley.

"It seemed to work for everyone else," Hartley smirked. "Besides, if I couldn’t get you to listen, I intended to remove The Flash from whatever plans Harrison had for him."

"By killing him," Caitlin added.

"Everyone’s alive."

" _HARTLEY, PLEASE._ "

"If it’s so urgent, why don’t you speed things up, Max?"

"Don’t tempt me, son." Dr. Crandall shook his head. "I don’t want to risk any further injury than The Flash has already sustained."

 

* * *

 

They were in a secured lab somewhere in the lower levels of Mercury Labs before the conversation continued. Hartley was sitting at a computer, adjusting the code in a program when Cisco walked up behind him.

"What are you even doing here?"

Hartley sighed heavily, pushing the keyboard away and dragging his fingers through sweat-dampened hair. “Hard as it is to believe, even I have to concentrate on some things, like bolstering the security measures on this lab to prevent Harrison finding us. I’d appreciate your not interrupting me.”

"Why help us?"

"I want to destroy whatever Harrison is up to," Hartley turned to him, eyes serious. "He needs The Flash for that, so I will not allow him to get to your friend."

"What did he do to you anyways?" Cisco sat down heavily in an empty chair. "You used to worship the ground Dr. Wells walked on."

"Since when do you care?"

"Since not listening to you when you said he’d turn on us nearly got Barry killed."

"So not even an hour yet." Hartley laughed softly, seemingly at himself, "Harrison is good at manipulating people and events in his favor. He fooled me too, for a very long time. Long enough to get what he needed from me."

"The particle accelerator."

"Yes. Among other things." Hartley looked away from Cisco at the windowless wall. "And now you’ve seen for yourself the," he paused, putting extra weight to the next word, " _Speed_ with which he can turn on you.”

"He used?" Cisco straightened with understanding, " _Dios mio._ "

"Quite." Hartley shook his head but didn’t look at Cisco again, "I think he knew. Knew what the accelerator would do even before I warned him. I think he knew exactly what and who it was going to effect. Wanted it."

 

* * *

 

Joe ruffled Barry’s hair and smiled gently at the boy that both was and was not his son. “I still can’t get used to how fast you patch up.”

"Well, I can’t keep being late to crime scenes; Singh will fire me." Barry tried to laugh, but it came out as a wet-sounding cough.

"Shh. It will still be another three hours before you can be up and moving, so don’t get any ideas Barry." Caitlin changed out the IV bag with the ease of too much practice. She hated that this was something she’d grown used to doing.

"Three hours?" Max looked up from a desk where he was going over some test read-outs at Caitlin, his thick eyebrows raising in surprise.

"Yes, the heightened velocity came with increased metabolism and healing. Everything about his body runs faster."

"Hmm," Max rubbed his chin. "I knew that, but three hours for this is —  _unexpected_."

"I’ll take my miracles where I can get them, Doc." Joe smiled gratefully. "Thank you for all your help."

"He means three hours is slow," Hartley chimed in, entering with Cisco from the lab’s antechamber. "Right, Max?"

" _What?!_ " Even Barry joined in when Joe and Caitlin looked between Hartley and Max in shock.

"I thought your connection to the Speed Force was further along than it is," Max stood slowly, rolling his shoulders. "A miscalculation on my part. We can work on that."

” _We?_ " Barry squeaked.

"In the meantime, rest." Max made a shooing motion at Hartley who stepped aside to let him pass. "All of you should stay here and work on determining your next course of action. Hartley can fill you in on my field of expertise and monitor the lab security. I’ll be back in a couple of hours."

With that, Max Crandall shuffled out of the room, leaving Team Flash staring open-mouthed at Hartley. Hartley massaged his temples in frustration, “This is not what I signed up for.”

"What does he mean, ' _the Speed Force_ ’?" Barry tried to sit up, only to have Caitlin push him back onto the bed.

"You have got to rest right now!"

Cisco pulled his hands through his hair and glanced uneasily at Hartley, “You’ve been working with this guy for a while, right? That’s where you’ve been since escaping STAR Labs?”

"That is," Hartley continued rubbing his temples. "Not entirely accurate. I was working with Mercury Labs, trying to help them unravel the situation with Raymond, Stein, and Rusch. In return, they gave me the facilities and backing to do my own work, they provided me a place to recover, and hide, from Harrison."

Barry’s voice was gentle, “What did Harrison do to you?”

"The details are irrelevant for now. Let’s leave it at, you were not the first speedster to attempt to do me harm."

"I’m sorry."

Hartley snorted out a sharp breath, dropping his arms into a cross over his chest, skin slapping together in a sharp noise of frustration. “No you aren’t. Neither am I for that matter. We both did what we believed necessary.”

Cisco smirked, “That your way of apologizing, rat face?”

"You don’t actually listen to a single word I say, do you Cisquito?"

Caitlin snorted out a laugh, drawing the attention of both boys. “Sorry. Sorry, but you two. Trading barbs like that. It’s almost like the old days at the lab.”

Cisco smiled warmly at that, “Feels like a lifetime ago.”

Caitlin returned the smile, although hers was tainted with sadness, “Yeah.”

"Even you’re smiling over there, Rathaway." Joe interjected. "You missed them too."

"Don’t be—"

"It’s okay to be human, kid." Joe patted Barry’s shoulder. "Heck, it’s encouraging to see it. I hate to break up the STAR Labs family reunion, but how does Dr. Crandall fit into all of this?"

"Right." Hartley shook his head. "While I was working with Mercury Labs on the FIRESTORM Recovery Project, I noticed Dr. Crandall snooping around. No one could tell me exactly what he was working on, or where within Mercury Labs he worked. People just knew he’d been a part of the facility from day one. He finally introduced himself to me a little while after The Flash showed up in Central City. He’s another speedster, and he said it was imperative to separate you from Harrison."

"Which you took to be by any means necessary," Caitlin frowned.

Hartley smirked, “Whatever ruins Harrison’s plans.”

"For once, that works for me," Cisco sneered in response.

"But what’s the Speed Force?" Barry interrupted.

"As best I’ve had it explained to me, a subdimension that operates in a way somewhat similar to Quantum Field Theory." Hartley grimaced. "Dr. Crandall tends to get frustratingly philosophical when trying to explain it."

"That’s not helpful." Caitlin agreed.

" _No._  Regardless, he claims it is the source of your speed. For all three of you." Hartley looked away from Barry. "Dr. Crandall believes the Speed Force itself may be Harrison’s real endgame."

"You can’t control a subdimension," Barry muttered thoughtfully. "You can’t even control how others access it once they know how to do it."

"You shouldn’t be able to, but that’s where the philosophy leaves me fuzzy on matters. Dr. Crandall seems to believe there's a risk of Harrison controlling it."

"But Dr. Crandall is willing to teach me about it — this Speed Force."

"That seems to be the case."

"And why did he trust you to work with him," Joe interrupted. "Why not come directly to one of us?"

"I don’t know. Dr. Crandall said that he knew who I could be given an opportunity, and that he put faith that. It seemed foolish, but  _here I am_."

"Here you are," Barry echoed. "Helping us. Protecting me."

Hartley snorted. "Speaking of which, I'm going back to adjusting the security systems on the lab. You four have plans to make."


End file.
